Cook @ Ease

Karadayan Nonbu Savory Adai or Kozhukattai (Steamed Savory Cake)

Kamala — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:36:13 +0000

Here is Karadayan Nonbu Savory Adai or Kozhukattai (Steamed Savory Cake) prepared during Karadayan Nonbu or Savithri Viradam. This is prepared in combination with Karadayan Nonbu Sweet Adai or Kozhukattai and served with butter.

I used red variety of cowpeas and rice flour to prepare this dish. Rice flour is prepared by powdering washed, soaked and then dried rice. (Rice flour is also available in the grocery shops). This is a healthy snack as it is steamed and I prepare occasionally as evening snack.

Cowpeas are known as Thattai Payaru or Karamani in Tamil and as Lobia in Hindi.

Cooking time: 30 minutes approximately

Ingredients

Rice flour – 1 cup
Cowpeas – ⅓ cup
Coconut pieces – 3 table spoon
Water – 2 cup
Ginger – small piece
Green chilli – 1 no
Salt – as per taste
For seasoning
- Mustard – 1 tea spoon
- Urad dal – ½ tea spoon
- Asafetida – ⅛ tea spoon
- Oil – 2 tea spoon
- Red chilli – 1 no
- Curry leaves – few

Method

Dry roast cowpeas, boil and drain; chop ginger, green chilli and curry leaves.

Slightly fry the flour in a dry pan; do the seasoning in a pan; add chopped green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and fry for few seconds.

Add 2 cups of water and salt; when water is boiling, add cowpeas and coconut.

Then add slowly rice flour and continuously stir to form as dough.

Cool and with wet or oiled hand, take some dough and make ¼ to ½ inch thick adai (disc) with a hole in the centre (I shaped it like vadai); repeat it for remaining dough also and steam cook for 6 to 8 minutes.

Karadayan Nonbu Savory Adai or Kozhukattai is ready.

Serve Karadayan Nonbu Savory Adai in combination with Karadayan Nonbu Sweet Adai with butter.

Tips

Do not boil cowpeas too soft in the initial stage as it is going to be boiled again and steam cooked in next stages.

Karadayan Nonbu Sweet Adai or Kozhukkattai (Steamed Sweet Cake)

Kamala — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:21:28 +0000

During Karadayan Nonbu or Savithri Viradam festival, some special snacks like steamed sweet and savory cakes are prepared and are served with butter. The festival comes in Tamil months of Maasi/Panguni (February/March).

Here is Karadayan Nonbu Sweet Adai or Kozhukkattai prepared with rice, cowpeas, jaggery and coconut. I used red variety of cowpeas for this. The rice flour used in this dish is prepared by powdering washed, soaked and then dried rice. (Rice flour is also available in the grocery shops).

This is a healthy snack as it is steamed. I prepare this as evening snack occasionally. Cowpeas are called as Thattai Payaru or Karamani in Tamil and as Lobia in Hindi.

Cooking time: 30 minutes approximately

Ingredients

Rice flour – 1 cup
Cowpeas – ⅓ cup
Jaggery chopped – ¾ cup (can be increased to one cup if you want it to be more sweet)
Cardamom – 4 no
Ghee – ½ tea spoon
Coconut cut into small pieces – 3 table spoon
Water – 2 cup
Salt – pinch

Method

Dry roast cowpeas, boil it and then drain water.

Roast rice flour in a dry pan to a golden colour; powder cardamom.

Dissolve jaggery in 2 cups of water, filter it to remove impurities and then boil.

When boiling, add cowpeas, coconut pieces, salt, cardamom powder and ghee; now slowly add rice flour, continuously stir it to get a thick dough.

Switch of fire, cover and keep; when it cools down, knead well.

With wet hand or oiled hand take little dough, shape it like a ball and spread it as adai (disc) with a hole in the centre (I shaped it more like a vadai); steam cook it for 6 to 8 minutes; repeat for remaining dough also.

Serve with fresh unsalted butter.

This Karadayan Nonbu Sweet Adai or Kozhukkattai is prepared along with Karadayan Nonbu Savoury Adai or Kozhukkattai during the festival.

Tips

Do not boil cowpeas too soft in the initial stage as it is going to be boiled again and steam cooked in next stages.

Sabudana (Sago-Javvarisi) Upma

Kamala — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:46:30 +0000

Sabudana (Sago) based dishes are very popular in Maharashtra for breakfast and during fasting times. It is used to prepare Kichidi (some what similar to south Indian upma) and Vada. In Tamil Nadu, it is mostly used to prepare Payasam and Vadam.

Sago is known as Javvarisi in Tamil and Sabudana in Hindi.

Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes other than soaking time

Ingredients

Sago – 2½ cup
Grated coconut – 1½ table spoon
Roasted and coarsely powdered ground nut – 1½ table spoon
Boiled and cut potato – 1 cup
Lemon juice – 1 table spoon
Salt – as per taste
For seasoning
- Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon
- Ginger chopped – ½ tea spoon
- Green chilli chopped – 1 table spoon
- Onion chopped – 2 table spoon
- Asafetida – pinch
- Curry/coriander leaves chopped – few
- Oil – 2 table spoon

Method

Dry roast sago in a pan for few minutes; when you touch, the sago should be warm; then soak sago for 6 to 8 hours; the water above the sago surface should be less than a centimeter; if more water is there, sago will absorb more water and upma will be sticky.
Heat a pan with oil and do the seasoning; add sago, salt and mix well.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes approximately; you can see that sago turns transparent when it is cooked; add grated coconut, ground nut powder, potato pieces and mix well.

Remove, add lemon juice and mix well.

Serve hot with curd or pickle or any chutney.

Tips

Dry roasting sago before soaking helps to avoid sticky upma.

Mulai Keerai (Amaranth) Puli Kuzhambu

Kamala — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:53:16 +0000

Amaranth (Mulai Keerai in Tamil) is a leafy vegetable and is used more in south Indian cooking. This contains more vitamins, minerals and good dietary fiber. Mulai keerai is used to prepare tasty puli kuzhambu (tangi tamarind curry), stir fry, kootu, masiyal.

We love this mulai keerai puli kuzhambu very much and this is one of our all time favorite.

Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients

Amaranth leaves or mulai keerai cleaned and cut – one bundle
Onion – 1 no
Tomato – 1 no
Garlic – 2 pods
Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon
Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder – 1½ tea spoon
Tamarind – small marble size (adjust as per taste – soaked and juice extracted)
Salt – as per taste
For seasoning
- Mustard – ½ tea spoon
- Cumin seed – ½ tea spoon
- Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tea spoon
- Red chilli – 1 no
- Curry leaves – few

Method

Peel and crush garlic, chop onion and tomato; take mulai keerai in a cooker with few cumin seeds and pinch of asafetida; add ¼ cup of water and pressure cook for one whistle; cool and mash it partially with a mixer or churner.

Heat a pan with oil and do the seasoning; add crushed garlic and fry for few seconds; then add chopped onion and fry for few seconds.

Then add tomato and fry till soft; then add all dry masala powder, salt and fry for few seconds; add tamarind juice and 2 cups of water.

Bring to boil and keep it for 4 to 5 minutes; now add boiled mulai keerai, mix and cook for 2 minutes more; adjust water consistency.

Serve hot with rice or chappati.

Tips

This dish can be tried with Arai Keerai or Siru Keerai also.

Mullangi (Radish) Chutney

Kamala — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:42:43 +0000

Radish is a root vegetable. It is available in different lengths and shape in white, red colours. It is rich in fiber and low in calorie. Radish is also a rich source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, copper and calcium.

I use radish mostly in sambar, poriyal and also in salad. Here is Radish Chutney. Some may not like it because of its strong aroma, taste but they should not forget that it is very healthy. Its tender leaves are also cooked.

Radish is known as Mullangi in Tamil and as Mooli in Hindi.

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Onion – 1 no
Radish small size – 5 no
Red chilies small – 2 no
Garlic – 2 cloves
Coriander and curry leaves – one string each
Tamarind – small marble size (adjust as per taste)
Salt – as per taste
Cooking oil – 1 tea spoon
For Seasoning
- Mustard – ½ tea spoon
- Urad dal – ½ tea spoon
- Curry leaves – few
- Asafetida – pinch

Method

Chop onion and grate radish.
Heat a pan with few drops of oil; fry red chilies; add garlic, onion and fry for few seconds; then add tamarind, coriander, curry leaves and fry for few seconds; remove and keep; then fry radish till the raw smell goes.
After cooling, grind all with salt to a coarse paste; add water as necessary to adjust consistency and do the seasoning.

Serve with Rice or Chapatti.

Tips

Green chilli can also be used instead of red chilli.

Fresh Pigeon Peas (Thuvarai) Stir Fry

Kamala — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:54:12 +0000

Pigeon Peas (Red Gram) is a popular legume in Indian Kitchen. In south India, famous Sambar is prepared with its split form. Winter is a wonderful season and you get most of the legumes in fresh form. Like Green Peas, this fresh Red Gram is also cooked after removing from pods.

It is rich in protein, minerals and is recommended for growing children. Though dry split Red Gram is available throughout the year, this fresh one is available only during winter season.

Red gram is known as Arhur or Toor dal in Hindi and as Thuvaram Paruppu in Tamil.

Cooking time: 30 minutes approximately

Ingredients

Fresh pigeon peas (red gram) shelled – 2½ cups
Potato – 2 no
Onion – 1 no
Green chilli – 1 no
Tomato – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon
Red chilli powder – ¾ tea spoon
Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon
Coriander powder – 1½ tea spoon
Lemon juice – 1 tea spoon
Salt – as per taste
For dry grinding
- Grated coconut – ½ cup
- Aniseeds – 1 tea spoon
For seasoning
- Mustard – ½ tea spoon
- Urad dal – ½ tea spoon
- Curry leaves – few
- Oil – 2 tea spoon

Method

Peel, chop potato and onion; chop tomato and green chilli; boil red gram with one cup of water with little salt till soft (I did in a pressure cooker) as it takes time to cook; meanwhile dry grind items given.

Heat a pan with oil and do the seasoning; add onion, green chilli and fry till onion is soft; then add tomato and fry.

When tomato is little soft, add ginger garlic paste, salt and fry for few seconds; then add potato and fry for few minutes.

Add all given dry masala powders, mix well; add one cup water and cook till potato is half cooked.

Now add dry ground masala (coconut and aniseeds), boiled red gram and mix well.

Add little water and cook till water evaporates and potato is cooked well; now sprinkle lemon juice and mix.

Delicious Fresh Pigeon peas (Red Gram) Stir Fry is ready. Serve with Rice or Chappati.

Tips

Lemon juice is used to reduce the number of tomatoes used. This helps to retain original colour of fresh pigeon peas.

This post is part of the event “My Legume Love Affair (MLLA) Edition 21” hosted by Mirch Masala and scheduled by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Pineapple (Annasi Pazham) Fresh Juice

Kamala — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:54:57 +0000

Pineapple is a good source of vitamin C, B and manganese. This tropical fruit has nice flavor and because of this it is used more in squashes, jellies, custard and candies. Pineapple has rough, hard skin and thorn like things on the surface.

All like pineapple juice. Some people get mild throat irritation with pineapple. I always add little ginger and pepper in pineapple juice to overcome this. One glass of juice gives enough energy and freshness. The pineapple I used was so sweet and I didn’t add sugar.

Pineapple is known as Annasi Pazham in Tamil and as Anannas in Hindi.

Ingredients

Pineapple – 1 no
Peppercorns – 10 no
Honey – 1 table spoon
Ginger grated – 1 tea spoon
Ice water – 2 cups

Method

Remove stalk, skin and wash pineapple.

Slice pineapple.

Cut pineapple slices into pieces; put it in a mixer with pepper and ginger; add some water and blend it well for few seconds; filter, add honey and mix well.

Serve it chilled. Add some ice cubes if you want instant chilling.

Tips

Dilute juice as per your requirement and add more honey or sugar as per taste.

This post is part of the event “Serve me some Juices, Shakes, Smoothies” hosted by Madhuri of Cook-curry Nook.

International Women’s Day 2010

Kamala — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:20:59 +0000

The whole world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8. This is to highlight the economic, political and social achievements of women. The first International Women’s Day was observed in 1911 (Next year 2011, will be observed as a completion of 100 years). United Nations (U.N) designated the year 1975 as ‘International Women’s Year’.

This year the theme of IWD is Equal rights, equal opportunities – Progress for all.

IWD is also observed as an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Here are some of the global United Nation themes of IWD for the previous years:

2009: Women and men united to end violence against women and girls
2008: Investing in Women and Girls
2007: Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls
2006: Women in decision-making
2005: Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future
2004: Women and HIV/AIDS
2003: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals
2002: Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities
2001: Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts
2000: Women Uniting for Peace
1999: World Free of Violence against Women
1998: Women and Human Rights
1997: Women at the Peace Table
1996: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future
1975: First IWD celebrated by the United Nations

For more details, log on to International Women’s Day.

Robot Chef and Snackbot for Future Cooking and Serving

Kamala — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:12:52 +0000

Cooking and Serving Food is going to be fully automated in future.

Robot Chef is available for cooking. A robot chef, Motoman SDA10 of Yaskawa Electric Corporation successfully demonstrated cooking of Okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury pancake in 2008. The manufacturer planned for selling 3,000 units of this industrial robot from 2010 onwards.

Also, there is a mobile autonomous robot known as Snackbot developed by Carnegie Mellon University as a research platform for projects in robotics, design, and behavioral science. It also serves snacks to the inmates of the University.

Here is Motoman SDA10 that was modified as robot chef and Snackbot.

View some video clips to understand their operation:

Palak Paratha (Indian Bread with Spinach)

Kamala — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:09:36 +0000

Palak is a type of spinach that is available more in winter season. It is tasty, easy to clean and also cooks faster. I use palak very often in my menu and cook as many dishes as possible with it.

Here I have prepared Palak Paratha, a well known north Indian dish. Palak Paratha is one of the favourite food of all my family members.

Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes other than chopping spinach.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 3 cup
Gram flour (besan) – ½ cup
Palak chopped – 3 cups loosely packed
Red chilli powder – ½ tea spoon
Garam masala powder – ½ tea spoon
Turmeric powder – generous pinch
Oil – to cook parathas on tawa
To grind
- Green chilli – 2 no
- Garlic cloves – 2 no
- Ginger – small piece
- Coriander leaves – few strings
- Salt – as per taste

Method

Wash and chop palak leaves; peel garlic, ginger and put it in mixer with green chilli, salt and coriander leaves; run the mixer once or twice to grind it partially.

In a bowl put wheat flour, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and gram flour; add the ground item also; mix well and then add chopped palak leaves; mix and by adding little water knead to a dough.

Take some dough, roll it with a rolling pin; as it contains more greens with moisture, you need generous dusting of flour for rolling.

Heat a skillet, grease it and cook paratha on both sides by applying oil lightly.

Repeat for the remaining dough also.

Yummy greenish palak parathas are ready. Serve hot with any raitha.

Tips

To knead the dough, you may require less water as greens also have water/moisture.
Gram flour (Besan) helps for easy rolling of parathas and gives nice colour.

This post is part of the “Family’s Favourite Food Event – Valentine’s Day Special” hosted by Shama Nags.